@GMTplus7 I agree with your point about multiple standardized tests validating aptitude. I know a few students who have done extensive SAT / ACT preparation and taken the test several times to get a 2300 superscore. But they (or maybe their parents) didn’t take AP and SAT II exams as seriously, so their scores were weaker there. Several low or not submitted AP scores can raise a red flag at highly selective universities.
We’re probabably regarded as upper income and never bothered w test prep courses for either of our kids.
They just took the test using $15 test guidebook bought from the bookstore… S1 scored in the top 1% percentile. I expect S2 to just do the same.
I’ve looked at the material. The SAT is not that hard. And I don’t think a $15 guidebook is out of the reach of even poor kids.
Ah, I wish admission officers did not like my child due to the burden of our wealth. But no, instead she has been afforded the privilege of being born into a marginally-middle-class family and all the perks that includes. Such as here in Hawaii, those of us lucky enough to not be able to afford private schools get to send our kids to public schools with no air conditioning (school started July 30). Learning in a classroom that is regularly over 100 degrees with a teacher as miserable as the students is just another opportunity she has to dazzle admission counselors. It’s all part of our evil plot to keep wealth kids out of Ivy League universities. Bwahaha!
@MidwestDad3, I don’t really think it’s that critical in most cases. At most it’s 1/6 of the picture, though most top schools suggest that they put more emphasis on sustained classroom performance than on standardized tests. And all it takes is getting into the necessary range for target schools. No one gets admitted to holistic top private schools based on test scores alone, and the stronger the other areas are, the less important it is to max out test scores.
I know several really strong applicants who are way too pouring their passion into research, athletics, music, the arts, volunteering, entrepreneurship or other activities along with their academics to spend a substantial amount of time taking SAT prep courses, regardless of their financial means.
It kind of doesn’t matter. Money is one of the things that opens doors.
A wealthy family that does not use that edge to prep their kid isn’t in the same league as a poor kid who hunts down every way to get an education.
I’d be surprised if the admin counselors saw it much differently.
How could anybody know how many families at Harvard have incomes over $500K? How could any college know if your income is $300K or $1m? If you do not apply for financial aid there is no way for them to know. All they can know is that somehow you have the funds to cough up full pay.
Yes, your SAT score must match the percentage of your income. Top 1% income, college expects top 1% SAT. I think they look up more than look down.
It’s true.
“How could anybody know how many families at Harvard have incomes over $500K? How could any college know if your income is $300K or $1m? If you do not apply for financial aid there is no way for them to know. All they can know is that somehow you have the funds to cough up full pay.”
I doubt most schools “know” or care when reviewing the application, however, I bet a good bit could be gleaned from the name of the High School and where it is located. In some areas there seem to be HSs whose purpose is to prepare their students to be accepted into the most selective schools. I would imagine merely exposing these students to the idea of attending “the best schools” would lead to more applications. On the other hand students from less affluent districts are lucky to be discussing college with their GCs let alone Harvard. We live in a moderately affluent suburb with a very good public school and neither of my Ds had any desire to go further than a car drive away to college. I would imagine many from those in less affluent neighborhoods have rarely been out of their city let alone half way around the country. Many might see that as extremely intimidating even if the possibility were presented to them.
In the end I don’t think Harvard differentiates too much between rich and poor. I think they just see a lot more rich than poor who are qualified and their classes represent that.
The city I live in is fairly wealthy, but there million dollar homes, and there are 100k homes. Huge difference, but the kids living in both areas go to the same high school.
I agree with above, top schools probably don’t care too much as if they did, then they would specifically ask for that in the application. Just like how they don’t necessarily verify every single EC that you did. It’s because that EC probably doesn’t make a significant difference to your application. I would think that the EC’s that carry a lot of weight (Olympiad winner, published in a prestigious journal, winner of a prestigious competition) would be actively verified by the admissions officers.